hnews_mon612_mar_home_explosion09

H. Rick Bamman - hbamman@shawmedia.com
A Marengo home explosion destroyed a neighboring home, left eight to 10 more houses uninhabitable and sent two people to the hospital around 5 a.m. Sunday. Marengo Fire Chief Bob Bradbury said at least 30 additional homes in the neighborhood were affected by debris. A damage estimate isn't yet available. "We haven''t grasped that," Bradbury said. "We have a crew of building inspectors going around right now looking at the damages."

The owners of the home where the explosion initiated weren't home at the time of the incident, but there were animals inside, Bradbury said. The cause of the explosion is under investigation. Foul play isn't suspected at this time, he added. Two people were transported to Centegra-Woodstock Hospital with minor injuries.